1 wholepepper, red bell stemmed, seeded and sliced into thin strips
12 ouncespinach, baby
2 wholeonion, shallot finely chopped
8 ouncemushrooms, cremini chopped (stemmed if necessary)
1 wholepepper, chipotle en adobo chopped
1 cupcream or coconut cream
½ cupstock, fish or clam juice
1 poundscallop large, dry-packed
salt & pepper to taste
chives finely chopped
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the baby spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the skillet and turn to medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and red bell pepper; cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables soften and begin to brown. Remove from skillet and set aside, covering to keep warm.
Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a separate large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, until the oil shimmers. Add the scallops and sear until they are nicely caramelized, which will take about 2 minutes. Turn the scallops over to sear on the second side for 1 to 2 minutes. They should be plump and firm, but not hard, when you press on them. Remove from the heat.
While scallops are searing, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in the skillet used for cooking the spinach, asparagus and peppers. Add the shallots and cook, stirring to prevent burning, until they have softened, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and chipotle pepper; stir to incorporate, and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and the fish stock or clam juice, then the spinach; mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
When ready to serve, divide the spinach evenly, place 3 or 4 scallops in the center of each portion and surround them with equal amounts of the asparagus and red bell pepper mixture. Garnish with chopped chives.
I was short on time this week, so I'll gradually add my version of the full recipes for each the Mexican inspired recipes I made for this week's challenge. The originals are linked with my individual photos below: